Game and educational device



Sept. 7, 1937. J HQRNUNG 2,092,577

GAME AND EDUCATIONAL DEVICE Filed April 18, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR [Z546 dv/ /orizzu y.

I BY

kzis ATTORNEY Sept. 7, 1937. E. J. HORNUNG GAME AND EDUCATIONAL DEVIC EFiled April 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [/z'ms c/ #01721:

zis ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- GAMEAND EDUCATIONAL nsvroa I Elias J. Horm ng, Rochester, N. Y. ApplicationApril is, 1934, Serial No. 721,189

7 Claims.

This invention relates to games and educational devices.

The invention has for its main purpose the provision of an educationaldevice or game which is interesting and instructive, which is simple tooperate even by the youngest user and which is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture.

The various features of the invention will appear from the detaileddescription and the claims when taken with the drawings in which Fig. 1is a plan view of the device with the cover thereof removed; Fig. 2 is aplan view of the device with the panel and the parts supported therebyremoved; Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. l with a section of the cover inposition; Fig. 4 is a plan view ofan indicia disk' and Fig. 5 is a fragment of the reverse surface of thisdisk; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 2showing the dry cell mounting and the switch; Fig. 7 is a sectional viewof the lamp mounting and reflector taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 2; Fig.8 is an enlarged plan view of the reflector; and Fig. 9 is a plan viewof a mutilated washer for retaining certain of the parts in position.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a box made of any suitablematerial such as pasteboard and having a cover 6 (Fig. 3) of likematerial. In the lower left hand corner of'the bOX,8,S illustrated,there is provided a dry cell I, and a dry cell retaining clip 8 ofresilient, conducting material. This clip is fastened to the lower sideof the box by eyelets 9, 9 and is formed into generally rectangularshape to engage the ends and opposing sides of the dry cell. An L-shapedpiece of insulating material, fastened in engagement with a portion ofthe clip by means of one of the eyelets 9, insulates thelower end of thecell from the clip while the pasteboard covering of the side wall of thecell insulates the remainder of the clip from this cell wall. It will beunderstood, however, that the right end of this clip is engaged by thecenter pole IQ of the cell. A switch ll composed of a U-shaped.strip ofconducting material, is fastened by an eyelet l2 (Fig. 6) to the sidewall of the box. The upper arm l3 of this switch is resilient and is sopositioned that when it is depressed its free end engages the exposedmetallic bottom of the cell.

' There is also mounted on the bottom of the box near the upper endthereof, a. combined reflector and electric lamp support. The reflectorI4 is in the form of an open-topped receptacle to surround a low voltagelamp l5 which receptacle is fastened to the bottom of the box 5 by aneyelet Mc. Preferably the reflector is made from chromium ornickel-plated sheet metal suitably shaped and formed to have a bottomand side walls. -One of these side walls 140. is notched to receive thethread base of the lamp, while the material Mb at an edge of the notchis offset so that the principal axis of the lamp is held symmetricalwith respect to the sides of the reflector. An L-shaped bracket l6 ofconducting material is fastened to the bottom of the box 5 by an eyeletH in such position that the upper end of the bracket engages the metalend terminal case of the connection of the conductor to the reflector,the upper end of this conductor is gripped in the corner between twoadjacent side walls of the reflector as indicated at 2| (Fig. 2).

A panel 22 having a series of openings 23 arranged in a circle and awindow 24 adjacent one of said openings, such as 23a, is held in spacedrelation to the bottom of the box by triangular supports 25 which arefastened to the side walls of the box. The mentioned window ispositioned directly above the reflector l4 when the panel is I in normalposition. The lower left hand corner of the panel 22'is also cut away toexpose the dry cell 1 and the switch [3. In addition, the panel isprovided with an opening 21 located at the center of the circle ofopenings 23. In this center opening 27, there is mounted a'rotatable hub28 having its upper portion. 29 reduced to form a knob and its lowerportion 30 reduced for insertion in the central opening 3| in anindiciadisk 32. It should be noted that the hub is of such length thatits lower end rests on the bottom of the box and its upper end engagesthe inner surface of the cover to prevent sagging of the cover when thedevices are stacked. A pin 33 projects downwardly from the hub to enterthe opening 33 in the disk so that the hub and disk rotate as a unitwhenever the knob 29 is turned. The disk although It is replaceable, isnormally, tightly clamped to the hub so that it rotates inclose relationto the under side of the panel. The clamping means comprises a coilspring 34 surrounding the lower portion 30 of the hub with its upper endpressing the disk against the hub in which position the spring isdetachably held by the mutilated washer 35 engaging a circular groove 36in the mentioned hub portion.

The indicia disk 32, has on its front margin (as view in Figs. 1 and 4)a series of symbols 40, or pictures of objects which are so positionedthat they are visible through the openings 23 as the disk is rotated.The disk also has formed therein a series of windows 31, one of which ispositioned adjacent each of the pictures. These windows 31 are sopositioned that as the disk is rotated, one of these windows can bebrought into registry with the window 24 in the panel. The windows 31are covered with translucent material herein illustrated as being acircular piece of material 38 fastened to the front surface of the diskalthough the invention is not limited to this particular arrangement. Onthe rear surface of the material 38 there is reversely printed in theportions thereof exposed through the windows 31, certain indicia such asthe name of the objects pictured adjacent to the windows.

In using the device, the knob 29 is turned to rotate the indicia disk 32until a desired picture, for example the picture of a duck, is movedunder the top opening 23a. It will be understood that the reverselyprinted name of the object in the desired picture, for example the word"duck" is in registry with the window 24 but this printed name is notvisible at this time since it is on the lower surface of the translucentmaterial. In order to make this printed name visible through thiswindow, the lamp I5 is lighted by the depression of the switch I3 toilluminate the translucent material exposed through the window 24 whichcauses the word duck to appear in this window. It will be understoodthat the depression of the switch completes a circuit for the lamp I5from pole IQ of the dry cell i, conductor 20, through the walls of thereflector l4 and the screw terminal of the lamp, then through the lampfilament and its end terminal to the bracket l6, conductor 19, andswitch l3 now in engagement with the bottom of the cell whichconstitutes its other pole. When any one of the other pictures, is movedinto registry with the window 23a, and when the switch I3 is depressed,the name of the object in this picture will appear in an illuminatedfield in window 24.

It will be appreciated that several indicia disks will be supplied witheach device which can be interchanged on the Pub 28. While the indiciadisk is herein illustrated as bearing pictures of objects and the namesthereof, the disks may carry questions and answers or mathematicalproblems and answers, or other similar material.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a panel member having an openingtherein and a related window therein, a second member having a series ofsymbols and a series of indicia, one symbol being individual to acertain one of said indicia, one of said members being movable withrespect to the other to bring a symbol and its related indiciumrespectively into position at said opening and said window, translucentmaterial permanently covering said indicia for rendering the samenormally illegible, and means for rendering the indicium at said windowlegible through said translucent material at will.

2. In a device of the class described, a panel member having an openingand a related window therein, a. second member having a series ofsymbols and a series of indicia, one symbol being individual to acertain one of said indicia, one of said members being movable withrespect to the other, to bring a symbol and its related indiciumrespectively into registry with said opening and said window, saidindicia being normally invisible, and means for illuminating theindicium at said window for rendering it visible.

3. In a device of the class described, a panel member having an openingand a related window therein, a second member having a series of symbolson one surface, said second member having a translucent portion relatedto each symbol, in-

dicia on the reverse side of said translucent portion related to saidsymbols, said members being relatively movable to bring a symbol and itsrelated indicium respectively into position under said opening and saidwindow, and means for illuminating the indicium under said window.

4. In a device of the class described, a panel member having an openingand a related window therein, a second member having a series of symbolson one surface and having a translucent portion related to each symbol,indicia reversely printed on the rear surface of said translucentportions and related to said symbols, said members being relativelymovable to bring a symbol and its related indicium respectively intoposition under said opening and said window, an electric lamp behindsaid second member for illuminating the indicium under said window, andmeans for lighting said lamp.

5. In a device of the class described, a panel having a series ofopenings therein arranged in the form of a circle, said panel alsohaving a window therein related to one of said openings, a memberrotatably mounted at the rear of said panel and having symbols thereonso positioned that they are visible through said openings, said memberhaving a translucent portion adjacent each symbol, an indicium reverselyprinted on the rear of each translucent portion and corresonding to itsrelated symbol, said translucent portions being visible in succession atsaid window as the member is rotated, and means at the rear of thewindow for illuminating the translucent portion at said window.

6. In a device of the class described, a. box, a panel supportedthereon, movable parts carried by said panel, an electric lamp forilluminating certain of said parts, a Ushaped conducting clip mountedon'said box, a dry cell engaged by the end portions of said clip, saiddry cell except for one of its poles being insulated from said clip, aresilient conducting piece mounted on said box for movement intoengagement with the other pole of said dry cell, and conducting meansfor connecting the terminals of said lamp to said clip and to saidconducting piece.

'7. In a device of the class described, a box, a panel supported in saidbo'x, said panel having a window therein, a receptacle mounted on saidbox under said window and opening toward said window, said receptaclehaving a side and a lamp having an end terminal and a screw-threadedside terminal and extending into said receptacle, said side having anotch in which the side terminal ofthelamp isinsertablelaterallyformounting therein, said receptacle having a reflecting surface facingsaid lamp, a resilient bracket engaging the end terminal of said lamp,and means comprising an electric circuit including said receptacle andsaid bracketfor lighting said lamp.

ELIAS J. HORNUNG.

